The Word on the Street
by akahey
Summary: Everyone should learn new words. Lavi even says so. ...but Kanda doesn't really care.
1. Crepuscular

**Disclaimer: I don't own -man. Just this plot and Aria.**

**Crepuscular: **_adjective_ Of, pertaining to, or resembling twilight; dim  
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**One: Crepuscular**

"Allen."

The sound of Aria's soft voice floated through the air, creating gentle ripples in the tense silent atmosphere. Allen was sitting on the edge of his bed, hunched over with his face buried in his hands. A creak came from the Inspector's bed as Aria got up and crept over to the younger boy. She crouched down in front of his form, fingers lightly playing with strands of his hair. Slowly cocking her head to the side, she listened to his ragged and heavy breathing.

"Allen," she called again.

Her fingers traced along the side of his face as he reluctantly lifted his head, eyes downcast. She cupped his cheek, causing him to shyly bring his gray eyes to meet her dark ones. A soft smile, one of complete genuine reassurance, was fully on her lips.

The crepuscular room, bathed in only moonlight, made the girl's skin glow a pale white and turned her snow-white hair, along with the boy's, into strands of silver thread. Her onyx orbs, reflected in the natural light, was seemingly gray with hints of blue in the iris. In them, he saw his own pitiful reflection, caught in an emotional and psychological war that would not only scar himself but everyone he cared about. However, the peaceful aura she was emitting was batting away the shadows of his doubt and fears, bring about serenity in him.

"Thank you," he whispered, his face breaking out into a smile that mirrored hers.

He reached out a hand towards her, guiding her forward by his hand on the back of her neck to bring them forehead to forehead. Even though he was alone, he would always have her by his side.


	2. Stormy Petrel

**Disclaimer: I don't own -man. Just my two OCs and this plot...sort of.**

**shortie: this word made me think of Allen and Kanda. :D  
**

**Stormy petrel:** _noun_ One who brings discord or strife, or appears at the onset of trouble.  
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**Two: Stormy Petrel**

Kanda and Allen were at it…again. It seemed to be that way nowadays.

It was practically a daily routine, and it annoyed both the Locken sisters, most especially Armentice simply because she didn't like their infantile behavior when they were around each other; she already had to deal with one kid (named Lavi). Aria tuned out their loud discussions and heated arguments when she could and continued on with whatever she was doing. It also disrupted everyone else, distracting them from their own duties to crane their necks to see what was happening. Since these outbursts were constant now, they didn't bother to look anymore----unless they suddenly became a part of it, then it was a different story. Even Lenalee stopped trying to break up the disputes after her brother had exasperatedly yelled at the two teenaged boys to halt their outrageously deafening and vehement disagreements. Unfortunately, even if they ended their little fights each day, it would always occur the next day.


	3. Peccadillo

**Disclaimer: I don't own -man.**

**Peccadillo:** _noun_ A slight offense; a petty fault.

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**Three: Peccadillo**

Everyone had their own little quirks, something that made them unique and different from the next person. They had flaws and habits, whether good or bad, that distinguished themselves from everyone else.

Like Komui with his sister complex. It drove away any and all potential boyfriends, thus, keeping sweet and innocent Lenalee safe.

Actually, no. That's not right. Peccadillo means a petty fault. His complex isn't petty at all.

Like Kanda with his anger issues. Though, he tended to get pretty violent with his not-so small threats.

Nevermind.

Like Lenalee with her much too caring attitude. It appeared to be a burden, because it probably sucked being teary-eyed all the time whenever someone from the Black Order died or something. It must have torn her from the inside out. Yet, she still smiled day in and day out, waking up at the crack of dawn to serve coffee to the insomniacs of the Science Department.

Like Allen with his knack for cheating at poker, a maniacal grin on his suddenly devious face.

…Or maybe not.

Like Daisya's never ending voice, words and phrases racing out from his mouth, surprising listeners on how his sentences were always coherent. He was a pretty cool guy----whenever his mouth wasn't open, but he was one either way. At least, he wouldn't run out of topics to talk about.

Like Lavi and his flirtatious self. He was a funny and lighthearted guy underneath the corny pickup lines and charming smiles. He could also be serious when the time called for it. All in all, he seemed like the perfect guy, but being the next Bookman meant cutting off all emotional ties.

Like Miranda with her constant self-blame whenever something went wrong.

Er…

Like Krory with his naivety. He was a like a child, so innocent and pure, untainted from the reaches of the world's corrupted hands. Yet, he continuously fought against the akumas and the Millennium Earl. He fought in memory of Eliade, despite the fact that she was an akuma herself.

Like everyone at the Black Order with their imperfections.


	4. Invidious

**shortie: I like this one. Even though it was difficult to think up an idea for the word. XD**

**Disclaimer: I don't own -man. Just this plot and my OCs.**

**Invidious:**_ adjective_ Tending to provoke envy, resentment, or ill will. Containing or implying a slight. Envious.  
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**Four: Invidious**

It was obvious in the way she vigorously tugged him away from each flirtatious interaction with a different girl. She would then cling onto his arm to prohibit him from running off, throwing dirty looks at anyone who so even peeked at the one-eyed redhead. He would smile to himself, amused at her silly possessive antics.

It was apparent in the way she would grow silent and then furiously blush whenever he teased Aria, ruffling her hair as she sported a playful pout. Her heart would then hurt, clenching tightly, causing her to breathe uneasily. A river of jealousy would flow through her veins, envious of her sister's friendly relationship with him despite the fact that _she _was his girlfriend.

It was evident in the way she effortlessly got upset with him, yelling her throat sore. She would always go overboard with the dramatics and throw tantrums without shame as though she was still a little kid. This was done in the eyes of the public, whether in Headquarters or wherever they currently were, the scenes embarrassing and humiliating.

She knew she shouldn't curse other people, but she couldn't help it, especially when he was involved. She knew it was completely selfish of her to want him all to herself, but it was only human to feel that way. She knew he would eventually grow tire of her immaturity, but she continuously clung to the fact that he was childish, also.

When he inevitably broke off their relationship, it felt surreal. She did nothing at first. Then she cried. She threw tantrums. She became a kid, shouting at everyone because she felt they deserved it. She humiliated every single one of them, embarrassed them in front of everyone else, even her sister, even her best friend, even sweet Allen, even kind Marie, even naïve Krory, even insecure Miranda. Yet, they still approached her to give her comfort and solace. They wiped away her tears, held her when she was uncontrollably crying, attempted to make her laugh and smile, and stayed with her into the long hours of the night.

Experiencing their kindness only made the guilt grow larger. Armentice felt even more envious of them, despite that Lavi was no longer the cause.


	5. Paladin

**Disclaimer: I don't own -man. Just my OCs.**

**shortie: It's kind of angsty----so, you might hate me----but I like it. It's about Allen. :D**

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**Paladin: **_noun_ A champion of a cause.

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**Five: Paladin**

It didn't matter that he was the host for the Fourteenth, a Noah, their enemy. It shouldn't have mattered, especially to those who truly cared about him. No matter what, he was still the Allen Walker they knew and loved at heart----even if they didn't know _everything_ about him. He was just as secretive as Aria, and somehow, despite her eccentricities and superficial expressions, she was still appreciated and cared for just as much as he was.

Because he was a part of their family, the Black Order's family.

Yet despite that, would some of them cast him away? Would they turn their heads so as to not have an inkling of acquaintance with him?

When the time that mattered the most came, would they leave him for dead, fleeing with their tails between their legs? Would they pick their own skin over his so that they wouldn't suffer his fate?

It didn't matter. It shouldn't, but he couldn't help but feel lost and abandoned. However, that feeling would fade as he basked in Aria's warm aura, her concerned eyes, her reassuring smiles, her comforting embraces. The feeling would disappear whenever Lenalee smiled at him, soothingly touched him in hopeful encouragement, and jovially laugh. The fears and doubts would ebb away as emotional support came to him in the forms of him and Kanda resuming their disputes, sparring with Marie, conversations with Link, teasing from Lavi, child-like outbursts from Krory, the gentle presence of Miranda, Jerry's delectable foods, acknowledgement and greetings from Reever and Johnny, and Komui's constant concern of his well-being.

Yes, he had a grand of support standing alongside him. That was all he needed. After all, he was the future paladin of the Black Order's victory over the Millennium Earl. He would become the champion for all of their sakes, because they were his.


	6. Gainsay

**Disclaimer: I don't own -man. Just this plot and Aria.**

**Gainsay: **_transitive verb _To deny or dispute; to declare false or invalid.  
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**Six: Gainsay**

It was a random survey done by none-other-than Bookman Junior.

Of course.

It was supposedly a survey, but the inquiry certainly didn't match up when each questioned member of the Black Order asked one another what was inquired of them. This turned up many a confused heads, and eventually it lead to the inference of the redheaded rabbit having an ulterior motive.

Yet what was it?

They scratched their heads in further confusion, puzzlement evident on their faces.

Really, what was that guy up to?

As he pranced to find his next interviewee, he accidentally stumbled upon who he exactly wanted to see.

"Yu!" he excitedly cried, throwing his arms up in joy.

Unfortunately, the Japanese teen did not share his happiness, since a permanent scowl marred his otherwise pretty face. Hand placed warningly on Mugen's hilt, he snarled, "What?"

Slightly flinching backwards instinctively at his friend's tone, he forced himself to stand his ground. At least, until Mugen was drawn, then it was run-for-his-ever-endearing-life.

He cleared his throat once he knew Kanda wasn't going to attack him…yet. "How do you feel about Lenalee?"

This elicited an annoyed growl from the Japanese Exorcist. "Quit bothering me with stupid questions."

He turned to leave, scoffing at Lavi, but the redhead was persistent----probably a closet masochist, seeing as he wasn't going to allow the violent teen to leave----and quickly stepped in his path. This earned another growl from him, but it was considerably deeper, meaning Lavi was in an extremely horrible and dangerous situation.

"W-wait!" the redhead rapidly waved his hands in front of him, perspiration beading along his temples. "You haven't answered yet."

Kanda glared venomously at him, eyes dark with obvious anger. The hand on Mugen's hilt grasped it tightly, causing Lavi to gulp and nervously laugh.

He wasn't going to reply, was he?

"Oh, hey, Lavi," a soft voice interrupted.

_My savior!_ The aforementioned teen's eyes glittered with unshed happy tears as the ivory-haired girl approached them, ignoring the tense atmosphere she was invading.

"Kanda," she greeted, eyes meeting with his, a small smile on her placid face.

Abruptly, he removed his hand from Mugen and returned it to his side, throwing the newcomer an irritated look.

"Komui wants to speak with you," she told him. "He says it's important."

"Tch. He says everything's important."

"I know. You should just go, anyway," she said, lightly pursing her lips together. Then before walking away in another direction, she vaguely informed them she had to go help Lenalee with something.

"So," drawled the redhead once Aria was out of sight, his mouth creeping into a large grin nearly identical to the Earl's.

The Japanese teen turned back to him, the glare darkening on his features, daring him to go on if he wanted to die a painful death.

"You like her, huh, Yu?"

With that said, Lavi quickly ran for his life, Kanda trailing not too far behind him with Mugen drawn and viciously slashing at the redhead. Despite being chased down by a psychopath with a sword, the redhead couldn't keep the cheery grin off his face. After all, he never did gainsay it.

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**shortie: So.... Was Lavi talking about Lenalee or Aria? Tee hee. ;D  
**


	7. Imbroglio

**shortie: I loooooove this one. Poor Link. XD**

**Disclaimer: I don't own -man. Just this plot and the Locken twins (my OCs).**  
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**Imbroglio: **_noun _A complicated and embarrassing state of things. A confused or complicated disagreement or misunderstanding. An intricate plot, as of a drama or work of fiction. A confused mass; a tangle.  
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**Seven: Imbroglio**

"So, Kanda likes Lenalee," repeated the ivory-haired teen, head propped up on the table with her arm.

The redhead next to her nodded his head in confirmation, smile adorning his face. "Yup."

"But she likes Allen."

"Yes."

"And Allen has a thing for Kanda."

"Uh-huh."

"And for Link, too?"

An eye twitched as the aforementioned guy paused in organizing papers, sitting one table over.

"Mm-hmm."

"But Link has feelings for Leverrier?"

The same eye twitched quite violently as he gritted his teeth.

"That's right."

"However, Leverrier is interested in me?"

"_Hai_."

"And I like Kanda _and_ Armentice."

"_Sí_."

"Armentice likes you."

"_Oui_."

"You like her and me, also?"

"_Shi."_

"What in the world are you two going on about?" Link snapped, turned around in his seat, quite peeved at their ridiculous notions.

They both blinked up at him, taken aback at his sudden outburst. A smile spread onto Lavi's face as Aria took the initiative and told him straight-on. The Inspector facepalmed; he should have known, especially with Bookman Junior around.

"We were talking about an imbroglio for the Black Order if it was turned into a drama series."


	8. Somnolent

**Disclaimer: I don't own -man.**  
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**Somnolent: **_adjective_ Sleepy; drowsy; inclined to sleep.  
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**Eight: Somnolent**

It had been a long day, and they wanted nothing more than to sleep. They were all in a somnolent stupor as they pored through never ending piles of paperwork, flipping page after page after page after page of written information. Their eyes would slowly droop close, but their workaholic selves would jolt them right back before they could experience a minute touch of bliss.

It was an agonizing routine, day after day, week after week.

Yet, when Lenalee strolled into the sleepy room with a tray of coffee-filled mugs, the heavenly aromas swirling into the air, the steam whipping into the atmosphere in a sort of enticing and alluring dance, all was well. They immediately stirred from their drowsy state, scooting back their chairs, the legs scraping against the ground. They straighten and made their way towards the smiling Chinese girl, hands outstretched in eagerness to wrap themselves around the warmth of a hot cup of coffee.

That gesture of kindness was enough to keep them going.


	9. Ken

**shortie: This is basically how I think Komui feels. I'm sorry if it's not entirely accurate or if you just...don't...like it. X|**

**Disclaimer: I don't own -man.**  
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**Ken: **_noun_ Perception; understanding; knowledge.  
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**Nine: Ken**

Komui found it extremely difficult to see it from the Vatican's ken, to view Exorcists and Finders alike as mere tools, nothing more than pawns in the simple strategic game of chess. It greatly angered him, because they were just as human as the next person. They had lives. They were living, breathing people with blood pulsing through their veins. They were just like him, even if they didn't have the same beliefs or views or intentions or childhood or livelihood. They were still people.

What else were they?

His ken, he believed, was much more accurate than that of Inspector Leverrier's----even that of the Pope's! It was because he was indulged with everything the Exorcists and Finders were doing, their conditions, their situations, their lives that the truth was embedded into his heart. He knew, and he would _never _throw their lives away, even if it meant the possibly of losing the war.


	10. Eleemosynary

**shortie: Ah, it's really short! Sorry, but this word was difficult to work with. Dedicated to the ever lovable Krory. :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own -man.**  
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**Eleemosynary: **_adjective_ Of or for charity; charitable. Given in charity; having the nature of alms.  
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**Ten: Eleemosynary**

He was quite the charitable person, seeing how completely naïve and innocent he was. Whenever someone came up to him, asking for an eleemosynary treat or something of that sort, he would give more than what was needed of him. Then they would leave much happier than before, arms full of clothes or money or groceries that wasn't even his.

Needless to say, he basically always got robbed in broad daylight, but it was his decision whether or not to give them anything. Even if he was gullible, and he definitely knew he was, it didn't matter because he was helping someone else out.


	11. Bumptious

**shortie: Enjoy. XD**

**Disclaimer: I don't own -man. Just Armentice.**  
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**Bumptious: **_adjective_ Crudely, presumptuously, or loudly self-assertive.  
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**Eleven: Bumptious**

What was it about General Cross Marian that made him so…irresistible?

He was irrefutably gorgeous, definitely suave and charismatic.

A pure gentleman who knew how to treat women.

A----

"You forgot manipulative," cut in Allen, voice completely blank and monotonous.

Armentice abruptly _tsk_ed at him, frowning at his unwanted interruption. Lenalee hid her chuckles behind a hand as Link ignored them altogether.

"He also has a bumptious behavior," continued the white-haired boy, unheeding the other teen's darkening scowl. "That guy, he's so full of himself and always burdens someone else with his giant debts, while he's off philandering in another country."

"He does not!" Armentice angrily huffed. "H-he's just incredibly generous and intensely helpful."

"General Cross is a shame to all Exorcists," Link offhandedly inputted.

For the rest of the day, Armentice avoided them, dragging the Chinese girl away from their "nasty and presumptuously opinionated" company.


	12. Mellifluous

**shortie: Eh... It sort of strayed from the primary idea, but even I forgot what that was. X| It actually turned out pretty nice, though. (This is PG-13. No sex. None. Nada. There are no implications of it, even though it may seem like it.)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own -man. Just my OCs.**  
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**Mellifluous: **_adjective_ Flowing as with honey; smooth; flowing sweetly or smoothly.  
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**Twelve: Mellifluous**

Marie was no idiot when it came to determining someone else's feelings. Of course, with the help of his equipment-type Innocence it was incredibly easy. While others relied on facial expressions, body language, word choice and sometimes tone, he solely trusted on small and subtle things, more specifically how something was said and the nearly hidden implication that went along with it. These things were difficult to decipher----or even to catch a hold of. It was also irksome to make an inference that was nowhere near the truth, which had a tendency to occur if he was reading too much into their behavior. Yet, there was one thing he was positively sure of it.

He had no trouble telling apart the Locken sisters; they were different in both manner and speech, after all. The elder had a soft voice, calm, eloquent, and polite though a bit bland. Her footsteps were small, leisurely, and rather hesitant whereas the younger twin's were more loud, boisterous, and unyielding. It was also reflected through her vivacious and perky self, her cheerful and mellifluous voice. It was absolutely clear that Armentice was the better singer of the two.

Her voice was particularly nice to hear in daily conversation, but whenever she gushed and drooled over attractive guys, she would take it up a notch, turning her voice even sweeter than before. It was an involuntary thing, Marie noticed, but that never improved the situation. Aria was annoyed by it as much as Kanda was, possibly even more since she was often the third wheel, having to listen to her sister squeal and coo over Lavi. It was positively sickening.

The older twin rarely was seen or heard imitating the younger twin's antics. Of course, she sometimes would around Allen or Krory, whom she immediately leeched onto upon meeting him. However, her affection was more actions than it was words, but in the privacy of a vacant room or through secret looks, touches, and subtle changes in behavior and manner, Aria's voice would turn mellifluous. This too was an involuntary thing, and Marie noted that it only happened when she was in genuine concern or reassuring someone or softly speaking with Kanda, their fingers laced together.

It was certainly nosy of him to eavesdrop in on other people's conversation, especially if they were on the other side of Headquarters, but it wasn't like he would tell anyone and everyone about it. What was done and said in secret would eventually come out into the open, anyway. Unfortunately, he doubted Kanda would appreciate being in the spotlight just because of his relationship with Aria. The Japanese teen would make a fuss over it, seeing as Armentice and Lavi never were once singled out because they were dating.


	13. Risible

**shortie: I really like writing this piece. :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own -man. Just my OCs.**  
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**Risible: **_adjective_ Exciting or provoking laughter; worthy of laughter; laughable; amusing. Relating to, connected with, or used in laughter.  
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**Thirteen: Risible**

Lavi, Lavi, Lavi.

Despite being the next Bookman, the redhead was completely full of emotions. One would say he was a risible character who had the ability to make people laugh, whether it was through his silly self or because of his humor. He liked laughter, mainly because then no one was really left out----not unless you counted Kanda, seeing as he was a pretty serous guy the majority of the time. He thought it was incredibly fascinating how one person could look so much more softer and approachable and lively when laughing. It was always something he liked to see, especially from those who were more withdrawn.

It would be a grand shame if he left the Black Order to crumble beneath itself, without any sweet and melodious sounds of laughter ringing throughout the halls, especially with how Leverrier was running things now. However, he wouldn't let that Inspector bring down his spirit. He wouldn't allow the old panda to drag him away from his friends, his comrades, his family. They needed him and his risible self. After all, he was the one character who was created to make everyone laugh and joyous during hardships and dark times.

He only wanted to see everyone laugh.

He wanted to see Yu crack a smile, not a smirk.

He wanted Aria to glow with contentment.

He wanted Allen to return to his not-so-dark-and-serious self.

He wanted to watch each of the Black Order members get married later on in life and grow old with their significant other, little grandchildren running around at their feet.

But most of all, he wanted to see them live through the end of the war. Then, he wanted to make them laugh again like old times.


	14. Senescent

**shortie: I rather like this one. :D Hope you do, too.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own -man.**  
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**Senescent: **_adjective_ Growing old; aging.  
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**Fourteen: Senescent**

Everyone was a senescent person, because time obviously worked its magic on each of them. Whether they were as young as Timothy, the newest member of the Black Order, or as wrinkly as Bookman, it was apparent time did not stop for anyone.

With time came age. With age came wisdom and knowledge. With wisdom and knowledge came power, the power to change lives. Unfortunately, that power had its limit; it did not have the ability nor the strength to outsmart Father Time.

Yet, what was so wrong about living a long human life? As Exorcists, as Finders, as members of the Black Order, their lives had the possibility of ending shortly. That was the bad they would have to live with if----if they managed to live another day. However, there was no certainty they would be there at Headquarters the next day, eating Jerry's cooked meals or drinking coffee with the Science Department. Those that were out on the battlefield practically everyday were in chronic danger, risking their lives for a bright future that seemed out of reach and dreadfully bleak.

Like that would stop them from fighting. It certainly wouldn't stop time in its tracks; it would only continue on ticking away the seconds, the minutes, the hours.

Each one of them was senescent, and they lived each day as though Father Time wasn't waiting for their end of the deal.


	15. Albatross

**shortie: A little more insight into how Aria functions.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own -man. Just my OCs.**  
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**Albatross: **_adjective_ A seemingly inescapable moral or emotional burden, as of guilt or responsibility. Something burdensome that impedes action or progress.  
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**Fifteen: Albatross**

Was it a burden to feel the need to always protect others? To care very little about one's own life? To have the responsibility of making sure the others were all right?

Was it the call of duty to sacrifice one's life for another? Or was it guilt and worthlessness that one felt upon thinking like that?

Aria always felt like she had to protect Armentice. After all, she was the eldest of the two. She felt like she owed some sort of debt to everyone----even to society. It bored down on her heavily, chaining her to the inescapable fact that everything was her responsibility----even if it wasn't. So, she felt to the need to do something, to be useful, to please them (whoever "they" were) in someway that made herself to be of some worth. If she wasn't able to do something, or anything at all, it would cut across her flesh and leave an invisible scar that only she would see. If she was incapable of helping, it brought down her worth, because then she was practically inadequate with everything else.

This albatross, nothing more than a bothersome obligation, she had placed upon herself, but she held onto it as though it was her lifeline. It was absurd and absolutely ridiculous. Yet, it was her only purpose in life.


	16. Tyro

**shortie: Eh... This one's okay. X|**

**Disclaimer: I don't own -man. Just my two OCs.**  
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**Tyro: **_noun _A beginner in learning; a novice.  
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**Sixteen: Tyro**

It was silly, really. Who would have known that both Locken twins had no talent when it came to chess? It had never came up before. Well, that was until Miranda had regurgitated the details of her latest mission with Allen, Link, and Kanda to the sisters. She gushed at how well-played the long haired Inspector was, timidly admitting that she wished she could play as well as him. However, that only confused the twins.

"Why?" they inquired in unison, blinking at the older woman.

Meekly, she told them even a non-Exorcist like him was more useful. They simultaneously scowled at her words, reassuring her that that notion was preposterous. Then they ended up deciding to seek out the Inspector for a game of chess. Needless to say, it was a waste of Link's time playing with them. They had no skill, whatsoever. They were just two tyros whom weren't even up to par on his level----nor even on the beginner's level. Armentice huffed and stomped away when he rather rudely insulted them; she went off to find Lavi and have him teach her the game of chess, so in the future she could beat the Inspector. Aria didn't care.

"It's just chess," she shrugged at the questioning stares. Then added, "If I wanted to win, I would have challenged you to a spar, instead."


	17. Quaff

**shortie: Eh.... Could be better. X|  
**

**Disclaimer: I don't own -man. Just my two OCs.**  
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**Quaff: **_verb _To drink a beverage, esp. an intoxicating one, copiously and with hearty enjoyment.  
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**Seventeen: Quaff**

Cross Marian had invited the Locken twins to drink with him, seeing as they were both of legal age, being seventeen and all. Armentice happily agreed to it, dragging along Aria because she was usually uptight about alcohol. When Allen heard what his master was doing, he immediately confronted the redheaded adult, Link in tow and shouting at the boy that this meeting wasn't allowed. However, his yells only irritated Aria, whom took to staring quite coldly at him.

"Idiot apprentice, go back and study," Cross commanded. "I'm busy."

"Yeah, busy in trying to get them drunk," snapped Allen.

"Allen! Don't talk to him like that," Armentice scolded. Then she turned to Cross, giggling, "Don't worry about him. He's just upset that you're taking Aria along, too."

Within a quick second, Allen turned red, yelling over Armentice's voice as Cross had a knowing look upon his smug face. Aria cringed at the volume of the boy's voice, placing her hands over her ears to drown it out. An eyebrow quirked upwards in slight frustration as Link heaved a heavy sigh.

Being the gentleman that he was, Cross had amiably let his former student and Link tag along. Of course, he had winked at both Allen and Aria at separate intervals, confusing the latter and further flustering the former.

Just what was up Cross' sleeve this time?

They didn't leave the premises of the Headquarters. Cross was extremely cheap when it came to buying other people stuff. Instead, they lounged themselves into one of the many rooms, bottles of wine stuffed in a cooler of ice at the end of the low coffee table. A beautifully decorated cake sat in the center of the table, a stack of plates and forks standing next to it. The General poured the ladies each a cup of red wine, leaving the men to doing it themselves. Then he cut them a piece of the cake, also leaving the other two to doing it themselves. All the while, an exasperated expression reigned over Allen's face as he suspiciously watched Cross' every move. Link helped himself to the cake, ignoring the youngster's mood.

As Allen picked up his glass of wine, letting his attention off of Cross for a few seconds, he somehow tripped and the wine soared through the air. It splashed onto Aria's unsuspecting face, causing her to scrunch up her features into an annoyed expression. The boy stupidly gaped at her, regaining his composure moments later and apologized.

"Hey, idiot. Why don't you drink it off her? I bet it'll be delicious." His grinning face along with the underlying perverse tone used didn't better the situation as heated blushes flared up around the room. He emphasized it by quaffing his own glass.


	18. Lugubrious

**shortie: I really like this one. Y'know, for some reason I tend to like the rather depressing ones. XD I was thinking of writing up a light and fluffy one, but I just wasn't feeling it. So, I went the angst route. Sorry.**

**This is dedicated to those who have lost their lives, real and fiction.  
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**Disclaimer: I don't own -man.**  
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**Lugubrious: **_adjective _Mournful, dismal, or gloomy, especially in an affected, exaggerated, or unrelieved manner.  
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**Eighteen: Lugubrious**

Fat drops of water fell from the darken clouds, splattering onto each and every surface that stuck out from the earth: wood, brick, stone, dirt, grass, trees, concrete, even water itself. They formed a melancholy tune, gently playing a long-lost melody that easily plucked at the strings of one's heart. It was both beautiful and dreary, alluring and mawkish.

Not a single face had a glint or glitter of cheer. Their expressions were fully blank, contorted with reddening eyes, tear-soaked cheeks, and thinned lips. The atmosphere was somber and gloomy. No voice dared to pierce through it; the silence was already too strong with the air of death.

The entrance hall was littered with long rectangular boxes, each specifically marked with names on the top. A thin white linen cloth with the Black Order cross on it was draped over each black box. A simple cross adorned the lid of each white box. Exorcists, Finders, and department members alike lined up in front of them, silent and sullen. Some inclined their heads in respect. Others stood there, quietly crying. A few whispered good-byes and I-fare-thee-wells and I-miss-yous. A couple of them did nothing and said nothing but merely looked over the crowded room with harden eyes.


	19. Coruscate

**Disclaimer: I don't own -man.**  
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**Coruscate: **_verb _To give off or reflect bright beams or flashes of light; to sparkle.  
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**Nineteen: Coruscate**

The stars were coruscating tonight, gleaming brightly against the dark backdrop of the evening sky. Each one twinkled benevolently as though playing a harmony that could not reach the ears of humans. It was a breathless scene, luring its viewers into a serene state.

Timothy, comfortably settled on the windowsill in his room, gazed dreamily up towards the heavens. He was captivated by its astounding beauty, the thought of Mother Superior and her kind face flitting through his mind.

Armentice sat beneath the vast blanket with the redheaded Bookman. A chill went through her body, triggering Lavi to tightly wrap an arm around her, pulling her even closer. She snuggled into his embrace, emitting a contented sigh as a smile eased onto the redhead's face.

Allen discreetly grasped Lenalee's hand beneath the table, eliciting a light blush from her. He smiled at her, watching her reaction through his periphery vision as he pretended to concentrate on the book in front of him. Link scowled at the teen, the situation at hand absolutely clear to him. However, it was none of his business, seeing as it didn't affect him…yet.

Miranda shyly and nervously edged her hand into Marie's, feeling the comfort of the warmth heat her up. Marie slowly grinned, gently squeezing her hand. She turned bright red but did not pull away.

Komui stood at his window, looking out towards the sky. All was calm and quiet in Headquarters. The Exorcists and Finders were tired from recent missions they had returned from. Even the department members were weary from long and exhausting hours of nonstop work. So, as Supervisor, he had declared a day off for everyone because they needed it; they deserved it. Even he needed a rest.

Kanda, visibly fuming and scowling, carelessly tossed the bamboo sword in a random direction, a Finder crumbled piteously at his feet in defeat. Crowded around the Japanese teen were the rest of the defeated contenders, definitely no match for the reckless and violent style of the teen's. A white towel was flung his way. He effortlessly caught it, turning to meet the expectant face of Aria. His features soften, though he forced the scowl to stay as he dabbed at the sweat with the towel. She only gave him that soft small grin, eyes coruscating as brilliantly as the stars in the night sky.


	20. Nostrum

**shortie: GAH! DX I can't believe I forgot to upload this chapter, and it's practically been weeks! So sorry!!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own -man. Just Armentice.**  
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**Nostrum: **_noun _A medicine or secret composition and unproven or dubious effectiveness; a quack medicine. A usually questionable remedy or scheme; a cure-all.  
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**Twenty: Nostrum**

Komui had said to trust him. They couldn't, seeing as he was one maniacal scientist with a knack for concocting outrageous (and sometimes dangerous) potions. However, they weren't taking any chances, not when Komurin the Fifth (was it the fifth? He always seemed to have a backup Komurin) was loitering close by.

"Here you go," he cheerfully exclaimed, handing a beaker of bubbling acid green liquid off to the bedridden Lavi.

He reluctantly took it, hands trembling in fear. It didn't look so mighty tasty; it actually appeared to be quite poisonous and deadly. Maybe it was. At that moment, Lavi silently admitted that he would have rather be kicked a thousand times over by old man panda than drink the Supervisor's concoction. However, he really didn't have any choice in the matter as the infirmary was being reconstructed, including all of the medicinal supply. Visibly gulping, he placed his lips to the beaker, tilting it upwards. The liquid burned his tongue and his throat as he thickly swallowed it. With a grim expression, he finally finished drinking it. Then he fainted, his body temperature suddenly spiking. Armentice screamed bloody murder, accusing the Chinese man of killing her boyfriend. He hastily defended himself but wasn't quick enough to dodge her oncoming attacks. His yells echoed throughout Headquarters, disrupting everyone, but they didn't heed to his dire situation. (The Science Department felt he deserved the beating because he usually avoided doing his work.)


	21. Munificent

**Disclaimer: I don't own -man. Just Armentice.**  
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**Munificent: **_adjective _Very liberal in giving or bestowing; very generous; lavish.  
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**Twenty-One: Munificent**

Armentice was quite a lovely girl. In fact, she was often seen as the prettiest out of the twins. She carried herself with incredibly high self-esteem, never once allowing anyone to look down upon her. If they did so, she always had a comeback to topple them off of their high position on the pedestal of ego. Despite her well-mannered self and serene composure, she had a nasty temper and would bite anyone's head off if messed with. Needless to say, she was on par with Kanda's own temper.

Her flair for the dramatics made her the center of attention. She loved exaggerating her sex appeal through flirtatious gestures like innocently batting her eyelashes or childishly pouting. Through that, she was able to accentuate her features. Also, the men would then be munificent, bestowing her with gift after gift. That was always fun and enjoyable. Unfortunately, those presents had been sold and traded off or broken once she and Aria were no longer in Alastair's care.

Lavi wasn't as rich as the crowd of gentlemen Armentice was used to. However, he gave her the time of day, even when he was supposed to be studying. He lavished her with jokes and corny pick-up lines, affections which she treasured dearly. That was more than enough, because past, present, and future Bookmen weren't allowed to be munificent with their emotions.


	22. Bombinate

**Disclaimer: I don't own -man. Just Armentice.**  
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**Bombinate: **_verb _To buzz; to hum; to drone.  
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**Twenty-Two: Bombinate**

His voice was nothing more than noise in the background. It was loud and distinct, as clear as the evident frown on Kanda's face, piercing through the many overlapping conversations despite their volume. Words rapidly spilled from the elder teen's mouth, each syllable sharply touched upon before moving onto the next one. It was like a song, though not sung. It wasn't meticulous but natural. It was simply the act of being himself: mischievous and playful.

"Hey, quit talking!"

It was sudden and quite too loud for the Japanese teen's liking. His scowl darkened as the younger twin's voice went up an octave higher.

"Daisya, shut up! It's _my_ turn to speak; you've done more than your share, already!"

Marie's booming chuckles followed. There was an excruciating snap, a shrill wince, and then a deafening cry of pain.

"See? You should have just let me talk."

Kanda tuned them (mainly her) out, resuming eating his plain noodles.

Her voice was nothing more than a piece of the background, bombinating through the atmosphere along to its own written sheet of music notes. It weaved itself amongst the other ongoing conversations, standing out as the most boisterous. It was also the most melodious.

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**shortie: I'm desperately trying to update this series, since I haven't in the longest time (sorry), but it's much harder to do so when I'm not really in the mood to write anything. If I do, they usually turn out crappy. X| Sorry.**

**(I wrote this one up after finishing twenty-three.)  
**


	23. Odium

**shortie: I rather like this one, seeing as I managed to conjure something pleasant up from my dry pool of writing.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own -man. Just Aria.**  
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**Odium: **_noun _Intense hatred or dislike; loathing; abhorrence.  
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**Twenty-Three: Odium**

It was there, that hideous feeling. It lingered in the air and was sucked into his lungs with every breath. It swam along his veins, spreading to the rest of his body, infecting every inch of him. He hated it. Yet, at the same time, he didn't have the strength to get rid of it; it was persistent----and possibly deadly. It would kill him slowly, like poison, if he didn't find an antidote soon. It would continue to eat away at him if he did nothing.

As he stood there, idly watching the moyashi exchange words and laughter with the elder twin, it bubbled acidly inside him. It burned him, lighting his entire form on fire. He felt anger dangerously rise from within, bound to boil over. If it did, he doubt he would be able to control his actions. Then the only thing he could do was remove himself from the problem; that would help ease his exasperated state.

Unfortunately, it was more difficult than he thought. It was hard to even move a muscle and even harder to tear his gaze away. His eyes were practically glued to them, but he didn't want to see their gleeful interaction any longer. It only angered him further, driving him mad, making him disgusted with how easily manipulated his emotions were. He wasn't some weak person; he was Yu Kanda, Exorcist swordsman extraordinaire. He wasn't like them, so moved by such little things and chronically crying over the dead. He was _stronger_ than them.

With all the strength he managed to muster, he forced himself to whip around in the other direction, stalking rigidly through the hall. People skidded out of his path, avoiding his deathly steeled glare.

They meant _nothing_ to him. (But that never stopped him from feeling so infuriated whenever they were together.)


	24. Abnegate

**shortie: Thanks for leww's comment about the summary; I never looked it that way. Hopefully, the silly face helps make a better impression than before. Sorry about that.**

**Anyway, this one was enjoyable to write. The word just screamed "ARIA!" Heh.  
**

**Disclaimer: I don't own -man. Just Aria and any other OCs that are mentioned.**  
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**Abnegate: **_verb_ To refuse or deny oneself; to reject; to renounce.  
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**Twenty-Four: Abnegate**

She didn't deserve to feel this, to be filled with elation. It felt incredibly wrong yet so right, but it wasn't like she could control it. Emotions were hard to dictate, after all. Yet, she needed to keep herself in check; she simply couldn't let herself do anything that was emotionally driven. However, that was much easier said than done, and there were even times when she lost her composure, fueling solely on the strong feelings that drove her. She was a hypocrite (if she could be called that) but still human, and humans always made errors. So, it was hard to be perfect, to be sinless and pure and mistake-free.

Once, Tiedoll told her perfection was boring. He said that flaws were what made a person beautiful, but she couldn't see past her blood-soaked hands, her tainted soul, and scarred reflection. She couldn't see through to the beauty she once had----still has, and it was sad for the fatherly General to acknowledge that. Because of her past, she felt she wasn't worth as much as her sister or other people: That was why she isolated herself emotionally from people. She felt she didn't deserve any of the things and people she had been blessed with because of that.

However, Allen enabled her to find warmth and comfort and a sense of sanity (with him). He helped her break out of her shell (but only when she was around him). She did the same for him (but it was only around her that he didn't have to put up the polite façade). With everyone else, they were no more than courteous Allen and dull Aria. Lavi had joked that they were soul mates, kindred spirits, destined to be together. What he didn't calculated into the equation was her developing feelings for Kanda that were more than mere comrades.

She became confused, upset, and anxious. It wasn't supposed to happen but it did. She wasn't supposed to allow her emotions to overcome her but they did. There was supposed to be no attachment whatsoever (Allen was an exception) but there was. It developed. It happened. And it wasn't going away. There were only two structurally sound actions she could do: Do nothing but wait it our or act on those feelings, past or no, and confess it to him. However, both decisions were difficult to deal with. Aria only chose to do one and tossed out the other.

She was chained to her past, ghosts of her victims lingering in her dreams. She didn't deserve any sort of relationship, especially not a romantic one.


	25. Unctuous

**shortie: X|**

**Disclaimer: I don't own -man. Just Aria.**  
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**Unctuous: **_adjective_ Insincerely or excessively suave or ingratiating in manner or speech; marked by a false or smug earnestness or agreeableness.  
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**Twenty-Five: Unctuous**

He was ruthlessly smooth and suave, never once hesitating to stoop to threatening, subtle or obvious. The pseudo reassuring smile stretched out on his face was an oxymoron: The unctuous Inspector was anything but comforting. Even his twinkling dark eyes said he wasn't kind and compassionate. Supposedly, he was an ally of the Order, but the way he acted towards and treated the members, most especially the Exorcists, said otherwise.

"Ah, Aria Locken," he drawled, a falsely warm smile neatly situated on his face. "It's been a while."

Turning around in the middle of the hall to meet his gaze, the teen blinked at him. "It's only been a few days," she bluntly corrected.

The edges of his mouth faintly twitched.

"What brings you here, Inspector?"

"Actually, I wanted to speak with you."

She slightly lifted her chin towards him. "Yes?"

"Privately."

"Well, what's the issue with speaking at this very moment?"

Questioning his authority wasn't a brilliant idea, but Aria never was one for much tact. His smile enlarged, a frightening action known to be the precursor to something even worse.

"I could effortlessly pit everyone against you, a horrendous sinner against not only our Heavenly Father but also against the Pope and society's laws; murder isn't something so easily forgiven, after all."

Aria gritted her teeth, her jaw tightening. Like lightning, anger flashed through her onyx eyes. How in the world did he know? Since he knew about it and could have revealed it anytime he wanted, why didn't he do so? Just what was his ulterior motive for keeping everyone else in the dark?

"What do you want?"

He chuckled in amusement, looking at her with a knowing expression, one which she didn't like. "What makes you think I want anything?"

Her reply came quick: "You weren't so indecisive about informing the Black Order of Allen's predicament and your decision with dealing with him. What's different this time?"

There was a thick pause from him. His (scarily) cheery expression didn't change, unnerving the girl. However, what he said was the thing to completely shatter her into a nervous wreck. He stalked past her, brightly grinning; he knew that she knew it was true, and there was nothing she could do about it. Leverrier, after all, was someone who could get what he wanted with just slick words.


	26. Querulous

**shortie: So sorry for the extremely late update, guys! I finally got into the mood to write for this series. XP**

**Yeah, I know it's short.  
**

**Disclaimer: I don't own DGM.**  
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**Querulous: **_adjective_ Habitually complaining; _also_ expressing complaint.  
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**Twenty-Six: Querulous**

The Chinese Supervisor was infamously known for being counterproductive. Hence, his creation line of (destructive) Komurins. He always found a reason and a way that stopped him from doing paperwork. If he didn't, he would ramble endlessly to whomever----which usually was Reever----was checking up on him to see if he was doing his work to prolong the actual activity. It worked the majority of the time, but since the whole of the Science Department greatly lacked sleep, Reever's patience tended to be thin when dealing with Komui.

Unfortunately, he couldn't burn the paperwork. He couldn't recycle them. Nor cut them up or shred them. Or use them for origami. (He could have over a thousand paper cranes!) He couldn't do anything except the one thing he was originally supposed to do: complete them. After all, they just wouldn't disappear if he willed it.

Yet, despite being so querulous over something as petty as paperwork, Komui knew when to argue seriously. Anything and everything that had to do with the well-being of his exorcists and the Black Order, he would verbally fight for their safety.


	27. Stolid

**shortie: ha! Another chapter up! :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own -man.**  
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**Stolid: **_adjective_ Having or revealing little emotion or sensibility; not easily excited.  
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**Twenty-Seven: Stolid**

He was as cold as cold could be: icier than the glaciers of the Poles and more dangerous than a blinding blizzard with harsh winds. He was completely stolid, void of any feeling, but Lavi knew better. So did Lenalee. Kanda could hide them away but those two being the closest thing to best friends could see through him like glass.

And he hated it.

When did they could do that? When did he become transparent?

His act was supposed to be as thick and hard as the strongest metal and impenetrable. Yet, as the years went by, as more Exorcists joined, he knew his hold on his emotions was slowly ebbing away. However, he could still strike fear into the hearts of the majority of the inhabitants at the Order. That made things easier to deal with and the weight on his shoulders slightly lighter. Unfortunately, there were those people who didn't know when to stop bothering him, like Lavi and that teammate of his.

Daisya always, always tried to get him talking, but it always, always ended with a brawl about to be started. Thank the heavens the tall form of Marie was there to mediate when things got nasty. Kanda would then scoff and walk away (if he could).

The Japanese teen didn't need to be burdened anymore than he already was. He continuously insisted on going alone on missions, but Komui usually wouldn't let him do so. It was definitely effortless for the teen to finish off many missions at a time when it was just him (and a Finder). Nevertheless, the Supervisor nearly always assigned him a partner or two. He said there was a greater chance of the task being a success with a group than alone, but Kanda brushed it off with his usual "che."

But whenever heading out in a group, no matter what he said prior to his companions, he would still protect them. It was constantly dangerous. So, if he found that the situation would be too much for the Finder or any of his teammates, he would separate from them, heading out on his own to deal with it. In that way, he could handle the situation without any interference and without any of them getting injured or killed. In that way, though seemingly rude and domineering, he expressed his concern for their safety----even if he would not admit it out loud. And in that way, though they wouldn't understand it immediately, they would hate him for it, making it less difficult for him to treat them like everyone else, less difficult for him to not be attached in some way to them.

Unfortunately, it was not that way with those who dared to stand by his side day by day, mission by mission, kill by kill, death by death.

He was supposed to be completely stolid, unfeeling and unconcerned. He was stronger than Lavi, whose will weakened and broke, losing to the thought of friends, family, and warmth. That rabbit was an idiot for falling so far down: his act no longer a performance, his lies no longer untruthful, his emotions no longer fake. However, he, Kanda, was nothing like him! He was better at the "no emotion" thing, but he knew he cared no matter what he came off as.


	28. Pernicious

**shortie: I actually really liked writing this one...despite the dark theme.**

**Well, enjoy!  
**

**Disclaimer: I don't own -man. Just this plot.**  
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**Pernicious: **_adjective_ Highly injurious; deadly; destructive; exceedingly harmful.  
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**Twenty-Eight: Pernicious**

It was bloody.

The battleground was a lush meadow with little pickpockets of flowers, its petals dripping with a crimson liquid, the blades of grass tainted an unnatural dark red. Shrill screams rose through the air, chilling the once calm night with a tension that came with fear. A sword slashed, metal hitting metal.

Figures clothed entirely in black quickly raced towards the nearby town as a bloodcurdling shriek rang at once and was abruptly cut off. A figure in white trailed behind, his speed not nearly up to par as his other companions. Their footsteps were as quiet as death itself, which could possibly be mistaken as the subtle movements of the wind, while his thudded harshly against the moist ground beneath his feet.

He was already breathing heavily upon reaching the edge of the suddenly burning town but forced himself forward when he did not see his companions anywhere in the sight of the panicking villagers, still clothed in nightgowns and sleepwear, running around like chickens with their heads cut off. Women clung tightly onto the hands of their wandering children. Men were aiming guns at the Level One Akumas, the shots reflecting off their metal skin and ricocheting in random directions, some hitting the ground, others embedding themselves into human flesh. Screams and yells were mixed together but undecipherable over the unorganized chaos.

The Finder squeezed his way though the crowd, stepping over the abandoned and forgotten bodies of the dead, eyes searching. He was pushed and pulled and nearly knocked over just as he was roughly grabbed by the front of his attire and rapidly pulled in a direction. In that mere second, he lifted his head, seeing an Akuma sliced to ribbons----_at the spot he was just at. _His eyes widen in realization at what could have happened as its blood splattered all over the ground and the running people.

A soft breeze flew by him, indicating that his savior had left to fight the onslaught of Akumas.

Approximately two hours and forty-seven minutes went by before the town was demolished, the Akumas wiped out, and the townspeople dead (after turning into more Akumas). Only the small group of three black-clad figures and one white stood, exhausted, attire torn, and dirtied.

No matter the level of the Akuma, they were all pernicious. It was both luck and a miracle that the Exorcists and Finder were still alive.


	29. Equanimity

**shortie: ...I think I used the word wrong. *sighs***

**Disclaimer: I don't own DGM.**  
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**Equanimity: **_noun _Calmness; composure.  
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**Twenty-Nine: Equanimity**

"…Allen?" came the uncertain call of one concerned Lenalee Lee.

Said guy slowed to a stop in the middle of the hallway, footsteps dying out in echoes which were trampled upon by the quick-paced walks of the other people in the area. They hurriedly made their way around him, brushing shoulders against others, slightly aggravated expressions etched on their faces. The Chinese teen quicken her steps in order to reach her white haired friend, but it wasn't like his unmoving form was going to disappear somewhere once the crowding people blocked her sight of him. However, that thought made her heart pump adrenaline through her veins, making her anxious.

"Allen," she breathed, latching onto the sleeve of his uniform.

He turned to look at her, gray eyes meeting large ones framed with long dark lashes. Then he softly smiled.

"I'm fine," he calmly told her, but when she continued to stare at him with that unchanging face, he added, "_Seriously_."

She desperately searched his eyes for any sign that said she should be further concerned, her grip on his sleeve unconsciously tightening. Yet, when she found nothing but the lucidness that lingered there, she sighed in defeat, uncurling her hand.

"…Okay." She tried to smile, forcing her lips naturally into the right shape. "I'll see you at dinnertime, then."

He nodded, resuming his trek back to his room, leaving Lenalee to stand in the midst of the flowing rivers of people. With his back fully turned on her, many steps away, the smile slipped off his face as the façade dropped. No matter what, he just couldn't let her know how troubled his mind was. It was his burden to bear, after all.


	30. Cosset

**shortie: I'm back! :D This one is background info, sort of.**

**Disclaimer: No own DGM. Just OCs, yesh.  
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**Cosset: **_transitive verb _To treat as a pet; to treat with excessive indulgence; to pamper.  
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**Thirty: Cosset**

Alastair treated the Locken twins with the utmost care, as though they were his own children.

He gave them anything they desired.

He lavished grand party after party upon them, though Aria always shied away from them, hidden in the shadows of the background while Armentice drew the spotlight on her with her cutesy girlish charms. (Jailbait_, _the men would remark to one another, because she _was _too beautiful for her own good.)

He presented them with expensive gifts week after week, and the younger twin would greedily accept them with bright eyes. The elder would flit her eyes from the rectangular box in his hands and then to his cheery face. Reluctantly, she would take it from him with a polite smile, but later, it would make friends with the other unopened gifts in the farthest corner of her closet.

He hired the best private tutors for them, because they did not deserve to be looked upon publicly and openly within the halls of an institution, whether it was private or not. However, no matter whether it was public, private, or tutors, Armentice loathed having to deal with the education process. She preferred dinner parties, majestic galas, and luxurious balls. Aria, on the other hand, loved it. She gorged herself with the history books, found science to be highly amusing (most especially chemistry), and flowed through the arts.

He made sure they ate foods suited to their tastes, even going as far as ordering overseas.

He bestowed them with the latest styles of clothing, the richest of materials, and sparkling gems and jewelries. (Aria would trade them for plainer and more comfortable clothes, while Armentice would need extra wardrobes to be able to fit them all.)

He had the loveliest carriages pulled by the most beautiful of horses carry the sisters when they went out.

But he did all of that to conceal the murderous secrets of the night from the people, society, and from Armentice. (He would smile that strange, crooked smile with a gleeful glint in his eyes, thinking just how easy it was to fool every single one of them.)


	31. Hortatory

**shortie: Update's here~ It's a reader-insert this time.**

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**Hortatory:** _adjective_ Marked by strong urging; serving to encourage or incite.

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**Thirty-One: Hortatory**

She was too perfect.

Why?

Even though she suffered greatly in the past, her present cheeriness gave away none of it. She was seen as a holy angel come down from the gates of heaven to give blessings unto the world, regarded as the epitome of beauty and perfection. Everything that she did, no matter her mood, she did it with a cuteness that made her even lovelier. (It was more annoying than anything.)

Sure, she had her faults, those minuscule flaws that were overlooked. However, no one cared about them, no one paid any attention to them, nor even pointed them out. They were more mesmerized by the fact that she was absolutely breathtaking to look at (or drool over).

She was practically worshipped by everyone at the Black Order, whether young or old. (You wouldn't be so surprised to know that they also _kissed_ the ground she walked on.)

Because she was part of the minority (meaning _females_) at HQ----and the most gorgeous creature that's ever set foot upon the earth----the men lusted after her, whether openly or in secret. Of course, she was the little sister of the ever eccentric and insane Supervisor, so that meant she was off-limits to everyone. Otherwise, they would have been dealt with. (And knowing Komui, you knew he would go as far as he needed to in order to protect her.)

Every single day you would look upon her and see what you did not see in the mirror each morning. People didn't flock towards you like they did to her. You didn't have the same warm aura she exuded, the same friendly personality, the same perky attitude. In fact, you were nothing alike.

Maybe it was jealousy and envy that made your stomach churn. Or that she didn't have to try to be immediately accepted and embraced. Or that despite her ability to fight, she was always offered help.

However, you knew the Order wouldn't be the same without her, no matter how much you wanted to deny it. She was their shining light, their beacon of hope. (You were a mere stranger, an orphan they've adopted and welcomed into their home.) She gave them courage and strength. (You were the one who stood off to the side and did what was commanded of you.) She was more than everything you could ever give to the Black Order, for it could not thrive without her presence.

But that didn't mean you had to like, admire, appreciate her.


	32. Pother

**shortie: I forgot to update. Mainly because the site was being a stubborn ass. Sorry it took me forever to remember to update. (It's still being pain.)  
**

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**Pother:** _verb_ To make confused; trouble; worry. To be overly concerned with trifles; fuss.

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**Thirty-Two: Pother**

There were too many worries to relax, Lenalee knew that. Nii-san had insisted she go take a rest, but her mind was buzzing with thoughts that kept her awake. So, now she was strolling around the new headquarters for the Black Order.

It was a terrible tragedy and too great of a loss to ever forget. (Though, that wasn't the reason why they had to relocate; that was another story in of itself.) She could vividly remember how helpless she was, unable to help save the Science Department. Her Innocence had been removed earlier that week, and she had been rather relieved to have the weight literally lifted from her legs. However, she had to accept it, the Innocence, in order to sync with it to destroy the powerful level four Akuma alongside Allen-kun. Despite that victory, there was a large casualty, and many deaths were befallen onto them.

Lenalee's heart thudded quite angrily against her chest as she recalled the event, lips pressed tightly together.

Then there was the announcement about Allen-kun being the host for the 14th Noah from Leverrier. Even more shocking and devastating was that he had told everyone to kill him should his body be taken over by the 14th. To see him as one of the enemy was entirely impossible for her because she loved him. To treat him cautiously was impossible because it was due to him she was much happier than she had ever been. To tread warily around him was impossible simply because she trusted him with her life. She could never abandon him, especially not when he needed support right now. However…

She heaved a deep, agonizing breath.

…he was different because of the 14th, and she wasn't able to do anything about it. He was more serious and dark, and it became harder to find the once bright light in his eyes.

Nii-san had difficulties, too. He always had them since he _was _Supervisor. Though she was rather used to him procrastinating and doing his work when he was only forced, it felt strange to see him be busy with keeping the Order intact and dealing with Leverrier at the same time. She knew he was overworking himself, but there really wasn't any time for him to stop and take a break.

Not even the Science Department had that luxury, and she knew that better than anyone, having be the one who took mugs of coffee to them.

There was just too many things to think about, to worry over, even if they weren't her issues to begin with. But she couldn't help it; she was just the sort of person to mother everyone else.


	33. Mores

**Mores**: _plural noun_ Customs; habits; ways.

* * *

**Thirty-Three: Mores**

It was half-past one in the afternoon, and Kanda hadn't even seen speck nor hair of the elder Locken twin.

No, she wasn't away on a mission, he knew, because she tended to inform him whenever she was assigned to one.

No, she wasn't busy sparring with someone in the training hall: She never liked doing that in the morning. That and she couldn't fight for too long nowadays, even if it was just training. Besides, he had already checked and was there earlier, before lunchtime.

No, she wasn't in the library because neither the usagi or moyashi were there. The former he had seen minutes ago chatting away with the younger twin down the hall. The latter was still in the cafeteria, eating himself away while Link looked on with a strange and repulsed fascination. (Kanda scrunched up his nose in disgust.)

No, she wasn't helping out Lenalee. The Chinese girl was occupied with tending to the needs of the lethargic Science Department as usual. Not to mention, the strong bitter smell of coffee made Aria sort of ill.

No, she wasn't with Krory…unfortunately. Though he mentioned he _did_ see her when he got up to get a glass of water in the wee hours of the morning. (Kanda's brow twitched, and the vampire-esque man hastily shied away, stuttering out some unintelligible excuse as he practically ran off in some random direction.)

No, she wasn't doing frivolous things with Miranda. The meek woman he found was helping Johnny organize his measurement papers. She nervously told him she had spoken with the teen prior to lunch. However, she didn't know her current whereabouts. (He growled when she shyly smiled knowingly at him, softly chuckling.)

No, she wasn't hanging around Marie, whom did nothing but grinned at his predicament. (The dark glare on his face freaked out Chaoji, though.)

No, she wasn't in Komui's office. The idiot inhabitant wasn't even there himself.

Stalking his way to the Oriental-styled room to relieve himself of the stress that had come upon him (in his rigorous yet not so obvious search for the elder twin), he let out a heavy sigh. She was always mysteriously gone during this particular time and always for so long. It was irritating, but it wasn't like he _depended_ on her to help him get through such a dull and uneventful day. (He mentally scoffed, but the twitch of his lips implied something else.) It just so happened that she was usually _a part_ of his day, nothing more.

Too busy in his thoughts he didn't notice that he was about to collide into someone until it actually happened. It jerked him from his daze, and an angry scowl marred his pretty face as his eyes locked onto the smaller form. The person, evidently female due to the attire being worn (unless "she" was a cross-dresser), slightly pushed away from him and gave him a small apologetic smile. Recognizing who it was, he gave a low growl in annoyance, eyebrows faintly furrowed together. She merely laughed.

"Sorry, Kanda," she apologized. "I had some bad stomach pains, so I went to the infirmary and stayed there for a while."

It was the same excuse she gave him during this particular time when she disappeared, but he didn't question it. (He had already learned about it from Lenalee (for some random reason), and Komui basically scarred him from the so-called informational demonstration he gave.) However, it didn't matter because she constantly managed to meet him (on time) for meditation.


	34. Effuglence

**shortie: Aria's Kanda's light, if you don't understand the meaning. heh. Other than that, enjoy~**

* * *

**Effulgence:** _noun_ The state of being bright and radiant; splendor; brilliance.

* * *

**Thirty-Four: Effulgence**

His world was dark, consumed by the doubts and fears and emotions he harbored but did not express. It was once bright, full of a childish light. However, once the reality of things had set in, shattering what little comfort he had, the light disappeared, dragging along with it the hope he held. Darkness quickly overcame him, and for many years, it grew, molding him from the inside out. It turned him into an emotionless rock: stubborn, blank, and weighed down by the past.

For anyone, it was impeccably easy to merely give up, to die, to let things be. It was much more difficult to keep believing, to grasp onto nonexistent hope, to find some way to _live_. He hated those sort of naïve people, those optimists whom believed there would be a happy ending for everyone----or, at least, that there was still some good left in the sinful world.

Lenalee was an excellent example. And so was Allen.

However, life as an Exorcist wasn't a particularly happy one, and he didn't need the lies those two spewed to comfort him. If they weren't able to handle the truth, the dark and harsh reality of things, then they would surely perish for it, whether by the hands of the Millennium Earl or the Noahs or Akuma or life or by his own. They, and everyone else, needed to wake up from their pretty dreams filled with flowers and sunshine. Life was no where like that. Not even close.

If someone gusty enough had studied this from a psychological point of view, they would have probably came to the conclusion that he was jealous of their sunny disposition and _wanted_ to be the same way. Maybe it was due to the fact that he give in to the darkness in his life so young and wanted to feel genuinely happy. But if this was voiced atall, he would have gone after that person or persons and shut them up for good.

He was in too deep in the darkness, too overwhelmed by it. He had already known there was no hope for him when he allowed it to engulf him. There was no light that could penetrate the shield of shadows that clouded him.

"Kanda," came a soft voice as there was a slight tug on his sleeve.

He grunted.

"Would you like something to eat? I'm going to get something to snack on."

His eyes flitted open, and he peered at her from the side, eyebrows furrowed. Her smiling face did not falter. Then he repositioned himself, closing his eyes as he resumed his meditation.

"Tempura" was his single reply.

Aria chuckled lightly----"Okay."----and brushed her lips against his cheek in a chaste kiss before dashing off to the kitchen. He felt himself burn from where she touched him, and he wasn't so sure if it was from embarrassment or the spontaneity of the action or that he liked it----not that he was going to admit it out loud.

Even though he himself may not have carried hope, he managed to find someone who carried enough to share it with him.


	35. Vagary

**shortie: Let me explain: It's just basically the fact that Aria's _expressing_ an emotion----in this case, anger----so strongly, which is really out of the norm for her calm and composed self.**

**

* * *

Vagary:** _noun_ An extravagant, erratic, or unpredictable notion, action, or occurrence

**

* * *

Thirty-Five: Vagary**

Chunks of the concrete pillars, splattered with blood, crumbled apart as they fell to the ground. More followed. Billows of smoke rose, clouding the area, coiling their way towards the open space. Aria ignored the mess she created and continued her unexplained assault on the pillar until it more or less matched the others, which only the very top managed to survive, seeing as her goal wasn't so much as complete accuracy in demolishing the columns as it was to pummel her anger out until it dissipated. Unfortunately, two cracked walls and four nearly destroyed pillars later, she was still huffing with anger.

The air stunk of powdered concrete, dry and dusty. Inhaling it in deep breaths made Aria violently cough. Her hands were bloodied and roughly scratched up, the skin of her knuckles torn off, leaving them red and raw. Her arms only had light scrapes. Even with the ability to morph her limbs into any type of weapon she chose, she still managed to harm herself. It must have been because of the fact that she was blinded by rage, and thus, she couldn't control the amount of strength she used.

Within the blink of an eye, her left arm, rapidly transformed into the blade of a wide sword, swung around in one quick swoop and hit metal. Her onyx eyes met those of Kanda's dark blue, almost black, ones. The intensity of their stare did not waiver. Instead, it grew as Aria lowered her chin a centimeter, now glowering from beneath furrowed brows, shifting her weight into her sword-arm. Kanda felt a minute, though strong, push against Mugen and immediately tighten his grasp on it, one hand on its handle, the other on the sheath still covering the majority of the blade. Then he dug his heel into the ground to better balance himself, knowing that the girl had the upper hand simply because of her stance.

A full three minutes passed with them in that very same position without much movement. Neither of them even _blinked _as the time ticked away. However, there was an annoying itch in Aria's throat that made her want to cough. So, with a blink from her, they finally moved, both with amazing speed.

There was an ear-splitting screech from the contact of the blades, Mugen fully drawn and pointed at white-haired girl. A small rip was noticeable on the sleeve of Kanda's shirt, a nick on the side of his wrist. Aria, on the other hand, wasn't as lucky: a vertical cut was neatly sliced across the bridge of her nose, extending over to her cheek. It drew blood.

They stood with gazes locked for another minute longer before the girl willed her arm to be changed back. He lowered his own weapon just as she turned and walked out of the training hall, noticing the blank expression on her face. Strangely enough, she stopped in the entryway, tilting her head to the side as she looked back at him, blood streaking down the side of her face. Sheathing Mugen, he gave a huff and stalked towards her. Then they both walked together to the infirmary.


	36. Verdant

**shortie: This one felt like there was too much going on. X|

* * *

**

**Verdant:** _adjective_ Green with vegetation; covered with green growth. Green.

**

* * *

**

**Thirty-Six: Verdant**

Aria breathed in the fresh, crisp air, lifting her face towards the sky, arms outstretched. The sun's warm rays touched every exposed flesh of hers and caused her snowy hair to sparkle as the breeze gently blew on by. It felt good to just be outside, enjoying the beautiful spring weather.

Lenalee's good-natured laugh reached her ears, and she turned around to face the group, flashing a dazzling smile in their direction. They all happily returned it, waving. Though, Kanda scoffed and looked away, his cheeks dusted light pink, but because of the brightness of the day, Aria wasn't quite sure if it was a trick of her eyes or if he really _was_ blushing. However, it didn't matter; the fact that he decided to come with them----with her----was enough.

As they decided on a spot to have the picnic, arguing over which verdant location was better----some of the others, including Aria, didn't seem to notice exactly how different the areas were and didn't really care----looks and giggles were exchanged between the Chinese teen and the younger of the Locken twins, peaking Chaoji's curiosity.

The elder of the twins made her way towards Kanda as Tiedoll found a nice view to draw, which, strangely enough, included him peeking over at them.

Marie was helping set up, aimlessly choosing a random spot and draping the black-and-red striped blanket over the square of ankle-length grass, seeing as Allen and Lavi couldn't decide and Krory was completely indecisive, not wanting to take sides. (The Japanese teen would have rudely scolded at them for bickering over something so trivial, but he was currently distracted by a particular female, whose fingers were loosely entwined with his.)

Miranda placed the giant wicker basket on the edge of the blanket, smiling at the lighthearted atmosphere that surrounded them. Unfortunately, it got ugly really quick when Kanda snapped at Allen, calling him the hated nickname. It escalated into a verbal brawl, which the others tried to stop, holding back the both of them. Armentice got annoyed and bobbed them on the head with her knuckles, yelling for them to shut up and enjoy the peace. The Japanese immediately fired back a nasty remark, and then another heated "discussion" began. Before any damage could be done, dear fatherly Tiedoll settled the situation, lovingly patting Kanda on his head as though he was a child. A snarl from the younger twin said she agreed he _was_ a child.

The two of them were separated, put into their own segregated area of detention. Technically, the areas were drawn with rings of flowers Lenalee made. It was made clear that they wouldn't have anything to eat if they didn't behave, and Kanda, being himself, gave his signature "che." (But he seriously _did _want to eat.) However, because it wasn't entirely fair to eat when someone else couldn't, the General gave in and allowed his "son" to have some lunch with them.


	37. Fervid

**shortie: Extremely late updates~ Krory- and Miranda-centric.**

----

**Fervid:** _adjective_ Heated or vehement in spirit, enthusiasm, etc.

----

**Thirty-Seven: Fervid**

Arystar Krory III was someone who knew very little about the world that he lived in. Of course, he had been isolated within the walls of his grandfather's castle for his whole life.

When Allen and Lavi came and brought him with them on their mission, it was like he was seeing everything for the very first time. Unfortunately, he was as innocent and naïve as a child untouched by the evils of the world, and that made him quite an easy target to manipulate. Though, as incredibly shy and awkward he was, he was a polite fellow (when his Innocence wasn't activated) and had no issue interacting with people.

Miranda Lotto, on the other hand, wasn't quite as _polished _as he was. She was klutzy and erratic and had a tendency to apologize for everything she did, believing that she just wasn't good enough to be able to help or that she had did something wrong.

However, the Order believed the opposite. Despite her inferior complex and the helpless attitude she usually donned, she always worked to the best of her abilities to save, to protect, to help. If anything, she was the epitome of hard work, of selflessness, because she would give everything she had in order to fulfill her role as an Exorcist.

Even Krory wouldn't hesitate to put his life on the line to save his friends, to protect the members of the Black Order.


	38. Ineffable

**shortie: Wanna guess who he is? ;D Oh, yeah: It's another reader-insert, FYI. **

----

**Ineffable:** _adjective_ Incapable of being expressed in words; unspeakable; unutterable; indescribable.

**----  
**

**Thirty-Eight: Ineffable**

You are an Exorcist.

He is a member of the Science Department.

The two of you are not involved any further than comrades, than companions, than fellow members of the Black Order, than friends. The two of you will never be involved any further than that of those mentioned.

He first saw you on the fourth day since you'd arrived at the Order. He remembers it because Komui was being too much of a hassle than usual, and Reever was trying to calm him down, to which he failed terribly.

You were particularly shy, quite adverse to speaking to people (mainly those of the male species), and trailed closely behind Lenalee as though she was your shield against the outside world. The two of you were making your way to the cafeteria just as the procrastinating-and-tremendously-hyped-up-on-caffeine-and-on-the-run Supervisor pranced his way in your direction. In his current state, he had no ability to control himself, and so, when he literally ran into you, you overreacted like the terrified girl you were.

By the time he and Reever got there, things were already settling down. They were more than surprised to see Komui knocked out cold on the floor, you and Lenalee standing over him. Apparently, when the Chinese man had ran into you, you instinctively reacted by hitting him----hence, the bulging red cheek on his face----and then went to hide behind his little sister once you realized what you did.

After that little encounter, he came to notice you more.

He saw you slowly grow out of your shell.

He noticed you communicate more with everyone.

He spied you beginning to laugh and smile.

He caught you teasing your fellow Exorcists.

He wanted to be one of those people you actively interacted with, laughed with, smiled at. However, he was just another member of the Order, of the Science Department. You would never notice him as someone other than the person who mended and made your Exorcist uniform. You would only pass by him in the halls and greet him with a small smile, wave, or polite "hello."

However, he was wrong, because while he had started to notice you, it had slipped by him that _you_ were noticing him.

The two of you became fast friends, you being the one to initiate the relationship. He was surprised by the action but welcomed it.

Looking back on it, he knows that nothing more could have happened between you and him. However, that didn't stop his feelings from evolving.

Why, though? In comparison to the gorgeous and kindhearted Lenalee, you were nothing more than a plain gal. Yet, it wasn't _her _he was falling for. Maybe it was because you were usually there by his side, eager to watch him sew the uniforms together, eager to help him work, eager to simply talk with him.

It's hard now to speak with you without him feeling overwhelmed by his emotions, but he doesn't want to ever stop. If he does, he doesn't know what will happen to him afterwards. Physical suffering is extremely different from emotional suffering; he's seen and experienced both.

It's hard to express how he feels towards you, because it's not a simple emotion; it's not an easy and decipherable feeling.

"Johnny!"

He turns, the tall stack of papers in his arms fluttering with his movement. A bright smile stretches across his lips when he catches you making your way towards him through the crowd. You most likely have just returned from a mission, hair partially disheveled and attire looking rather worn. However, it doesn't matter because he still thinks you look pretty, especially when the ear-to-ear grin is adorning your face.


	39. Sartorial

----

**Sartorial:** _adjective_ Of or relating to a tailor or tailoring. Of or relating to clothing, style or manner of dress.

----

**Thirty-Nine: Sartorial**

You are in a rush, running through the people-filled halls, jostling them as you pass by. They trip and fall. Pieces of papers flutter everywhere, coating everything and everyone like the falling snow. However, you don't look back or apologize: You're in too much of a hurry to care or concern yourself with that issue. You could always deal with it later, you tell yourself, but you're more than likely to forget.

Where is he?

He isn't in the escaped mental institution patient of a Supervisor's office, nor anywhere else with another Science Department member. You have already interrogated Reever, quite forcibly might I add, and his answers didn't help you much.

He's not hanging around with that new Exorcist. What's his name? Oh, yeah: Allen Walden or something. You went looking in the cafeteria earlier and saw him surrounded by mountains of dishes, still stuffing his face. You would have approached him, but you didn't want to be showered in spit and the chewed remains of food. Maybe you should have, but you doubted you would be able to understand what he said, anyway.

Maybe he's with…someone.

_ARGH!_

Biting your bottom lip, you wonder where in the multiple floors of the castle is that guy. It feels like he disappeared, but he can't do that because you need to talk to him.

You bump into someone and fall. Paper scatters, and you are ready to tell the guy off when you recognize the dark brown fluffy pigtails and large round glasses.

"Johnny!" you squeal.

Your hands go to grasp onto the front of his shirt and lab coat as your overjoyed expression changes to a frown. He shakily exhales, slightly trembling in your hold, mind going over many different possibilities on what you want from him now.

"H-hi" is his unsure and rather scared response.

Then you pout.

"Why does Lenalee have such cute clothes and uniforms?"

He blinks in bewilderment, but you don't stop there.

"I mean, sure her skirt's extremely short and if you pay close enough attention, you might see her panties, but that's not the point! She always look so cute and pretty and girly every single day in every single outfit that she owns. I swear Komui's spoiling her rotten and secretly raising her pay, while the rest of us rot. She always have something new----unless _you're_ making her clothes for her!"

You take a quick breath to gasp dramatically while he tries to unintelligibly interrupt. However, before he can even begin to form coherent words you continue your rant.

"Johnny, I can't believe you! I-I-I thought we were friends! And now Komui's having you slave over his little sister's clothes. He's probably blackmailing you, yes! That's it! No, wait, unless----you _love_ her, and making pretty clothes for a pretty girl like her is the way you're expressing your feelings for her. YOU CAN'T DO THAT! You can't let her monopolize you like this!"

Heaving deep breaths, you stare intently at him. He's experiencing so many different emotions all at once, but you don't know that. All you can see is that he's really nervous and confused and perspiring. He ponders over what you just said to him, but it's going over his head since he can't concentrate when you're looking at him with such fiery passion. Not to mention, you haven't let go of him yet, your grasp tight, meaning his shirt's bound to have ugly wrinkles afterwards.

"I-if you want, I-I c-could make a cute outfit for y-you," he says after minutes of silence.

At this, you immediately beam, pulling him into a bone-crushing embrace. He blushes a ripe tomato red, embarrassed. You kiss his burning cheek, unwrapping yourself from him.

"Thanks so much, Johnny!" you tell him with a dazzling grin, bouncing away with a vigorous wave to him. "I owe you one!"


	40. Louche

**shortie: Ten more to go before I'm done with this series! YAY~**

**The guy's Cross Marian, even though I never mention his name in this chapter AT ALL.**

**The last of these will most likely be reader-inserts, seeing as I've been in the mood to write stories of that sort. Especially since I've been writing those sort of stories recently. Just not on this site. (I will eventually post them up here...when I feel like it.)**

**Other than that, enjoy~  
**

----

**Louche:** _adjective_ Of questionable taste or morality; disreputable or indecent; dubious; shady.

----

**Forty: Louche**

He always like to come at the oddest hours of the night. The other girls who work there already labels him as a regular after three visits, and no matter how inconsistent his visits are, he's still a regular. Even you have begun to refer to him as such. However, you don't care about it: It's not that big of an issue to even think about.

You are managing the bar as usual, the clock ticking at the early hours of the morning. Still, the tavern is as lively as it is during the afternoon. The only difference is that there's less customers. Maybe that's why you chose to work during this weird hour when everyone else shied away from it. No matter: it counts towards your work hours and salary, so you have no complaints.

Someone at the counter lazily calls for another refill just as the door swings open, letting in both the cold winter air and the redheaded regular. You move to grab a clean mug off the shelf and fill it to the rim with the foamy drink, gingerly placing it in front of guy who requested it.

The handsome regular has found himself a seat at the bar while you were busy. He lightly taps the wooden counter with two fingers, removing the hat on his head. You know what it means and go to fetch him his unique drink just as one of the new girls merrily skipped over to him, the ruffled skirt riding high on her thighs. She giggles like a little shy girl, batting her long lashes at him and subtly thrusting her bodice-covered bosom into his personal bubble. He gives her a sidelong glance, a charming grin slowly stretching onto his face. Before anything can happen, you set his drink down next to him, interrupting their flirtatious exchange.

He thanks you, his eyes capturing yours for a moment until you blink and glance somewhere else. You walk away to attend to the other customers.

Everyone knows that he only comes to this particular bar at this particular time to see you. Even you know it, but you couldn't care less. Even the new girls know, but to have eye candy like him in their presence, they just can't ignore him. Only the girls who have been there long enough to tell what sort of guys hangs around the tavern don't flirt with him.

Your shift ends at four in the morning. He's gone before then. But when you bid everyone farewell and exit the bar, pulling your coat tighter around you, you see that he's leaning against the brick wall in the alley. A cigarette hangs loosely from his lips, and upon seeing you, he inhales the nicotine one last time before tossing it to the ground and smashing it beneath his boot. He approaches you and wraps an arm around your waist as the two of you walk through the dimly lit streets.

"A woman like you shouldn't be working in such a shady-looking place," he nonchalantly comments.

"A man like you shouldn't look so shady in an already shady-looking place," you bite back, a smirk appearing on your lips.


	41. Sedulous

**shortie: Lenalee may be a bit OOC. But it was fun writing her like this.  
**

----

**Sedulous:** _adjective_ Diligent in application or pursuit; steadily industrious.

----

**Forty-One: Sedulous**

Lenalee is busy baking a cake in the kitchen. Jeryy had only let her in there because she gave him such a cute pleading look. That and Valentine's Day is tomorrow, and she had told him of her plans.

The whole baking process was the easy part, seeing as the two layers came out perfectly golden. Next, she managed to do well with spreading the cream on the top of layer of the cake and the bottom of the other, and then joining them to create one whole cake. She buttered white icing over the whole thing as though she was handing out cups of coffee. However, the part that follows is decorating the cake, and she knows it will be hard. It will be difficult work, especially since it needs to be absolutely perfect.

It is painstaking, she notes, as she carefully trails an evenly paced wavy line of colored icing along the edge of the cake. She will have to go back later to finish decorating it.

Picking up a different bag of colored icing, she slowly squirts it out on the top in the middle. It becomes easy to handle if she doesn't get too excited. However, as the flowers she's creating evolves, she doesn't notice the frosting smeared on her hand. But that turns out to be the least of her problems when she accidentally pressed her frosting-smeared-hand into the halfway done cake.

She shrieks in horror, immediately panicking. Dropping the bag of icing onto the counter, she hurriedly searches for the paper towels. In her haste, she swung around and knocked some of the miscellaneous items lying around into the cake. The thrust of that action causes said cake to fly off its place on the kitchen island, slamming into the floor with a queasy sound. Now it's a blob of the cake it used to be.

Tears come fast, and soon they're falling from her wide eyes. She crumbles to the ground, sad and pathetic, frosting still on her hand.

The door swings open, and you enter the rather messy room, not realizing the atmosphere you just stepped into. However, the first thing you spy is the destroyed cake, and it freezes you to your spot. You recover after a quick moment and make your way towards it. Dipping a finger into the frosting, you bring it to your mouth. Lenalee can only stare in shock, which turns into disgust as you break a chunk of the ruined sweet and eat it. When you turn around, you finally see her sitting there on the floor, face streaked with tears.

"Oi, what're you doing down there?" you inquire while noisily chewing.

You don't seem to be aware of her distress, and that angers her even further.

"(NAME), YOU UNGRATEFUL AND REPULSIVE CHILD!!"

The volume of her screaming voice surprises you because you have never heard her this upset before. You're even more astonished at the fact that she has the ability to yell.

"Get out of here!"

It takes you a minute to heed her complaint, but you understand the message fully when she starts throwing random objects at you. You get hit everywhere but still manage to stand; it hurts, though. However, you're lucky that her Anti-Akuma weapon is Dark Boots instead of Dark Gloves.


	42. Ineluctable

----

**Ineluctable:** _adjective_ Impossible to avoid or evade; inevitable.

----

**Forty-Two: Ineluctable**

You knew this day would come but had hoped it was still far away. In fact, you remembered wishing that it would _never_ come. Unfortunately, your wishes never come true. If they did, there would be a peaceful world where it rained gumdrops and snowed chocolate cakes and you would have lived a life similar to that of Peter Pan's. But that wasn't the case, and none of your wishes were granted no matter how hard you prayed. Instead, you were stuck at the Black Order, forced to become a member----a Finder, to be exact----and tortured with dangerous missions with even more treacherous people for comrades. It was plain luck that you managed to survive for so long, but with that dreaded day quickly approaching----more like already here----you knew you would be dead within a few hours.

It was quieter than usual at HQ, and it unnerved you. If it was some random day picked out of the year, you wouldn't have minded, but it wasn't.

Everywhere you went you felt eyes boring into you, and whenever you turned to look, there was always no one there. You weren't so sure if you were going crazy or if that insane Supervisor had secretly slipped something into your breakfast. It was probably the latter but even the former seemed quite logical. Still, you hoped it was Komui's fault you were feeling so paranoid and jumpy.

Each room you peeked into was void of any human presence, though you encountered a mini Komurin, whom was too occupied with dusting the shelves and towers of books in the library to have noticed you. Even the infirmary was vacant! It seriously felt like everyone vanished into thin air; it was extremely eerie.

You could hear the tiniest of creaks echoing through the empty halls. The rush of the wind outside. Distant rustling of the leaves on the trees. Even the skittering of mice running across the stone floor.

Were you suddenly in a scene from a horror movie? That thought frightened you, heart pounding irregularly in your chest. Out of paranoid terror, you ran. To where, you didn't know.

You had suffered through a whole week without bathing, scaled perilous mountainsides covered in snow, outran a swarm of level one Akuma, came out unscathed when Komurin II destroyed the building (and the other multiple times that occurred), lived through Kanda's numerous death threats, and many more. And only to what? Die by the hands of a crazed murderer on the loose or some other scientific creation of a monster?

When you barged through the doors of the cafeteria, you were too occupied with what was supposedly behind you than was what in front of you. That left you utterly opened for the surprise that met you.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, (NAME)!"

To say that the shouts and yells spooked you was a complete understatement: You had screamed in terror and then promptly fainted, overwhelmed with fear and stress.

(You've always hated surprise birthday parties.)


	43. Lineament

**shortie: Some OOC Kandaria, anyone? 8D**

**Tomorrow's the start of the winter term! Noooooooo! DD: ...but I sort of missed school.  
**

----

**Lineament**: _noun_ A distinctive shape, contour, or line, especially of the face. A distinguishing or characteristic feature; -- usually in the plural.

----

**Forty-Three: Lineament**

To say that Aria didn't mind the rather permanent scowl on his face would be a complete and utter lie, but it wasn't like anyone really knew what she liked or disliked or preferred or basically her thoughts. There were times when she wished he wouldn't mar his facial features into such a disgusting expression, but those times only occurred when she seriously thought about it.

Each time that he frowned, she had an urge to reach out her hand and smooth out the wrinkles, dispelling the aforementioned expression. Sometimes, she did.

However, he didn't like being touched, neither in the public eye or even in the privacy of a closed room----even _if_ it was Aria.

He would be shocked by the action for a few quick seconds, eyes marginally wide----but only visible up-close----before scoffing and brushing by her. Though, there was always the hint of some deeper emotion flashing in his eyes when he walked away, leaving her hand outstretched in the air.

She knew what it meant, that look he gave her, but at the same time, she didn't.

Later, when she knew he would be in the Oriental room, mediating, she would head there. Often did she ever find him accompanied by someone else, namely Lenalee or Marie, but this time, there was only him. She had slid open the wooden door to see him already settled in his usual spot. Closing the door behind her as she quietly entered, she went to sit cross-legged beside him.

She never closed her eyes when she meditated; she wasn't used to it. If she did, she would either end up falling asleep or thinking too far back into the past. Unfortunately, it didn't matter whether she closed her eyes or left them open because she always ended up thinking about unnecessary things, which she managed to finally let go, but since she was pondering about them, that meant she didn't fully manage to forgive and forget.

It would surprise her, the feel of cool fingers against her warm flesh----more specifically, her forehead. She turned to him as his fingers trail to the middle of her furrowed brows, massaging the wrinkle of skin there with his thumb. His jaw was faintly clenched, and she saw that he wore a light frown. When he pulled his hand away, she let out a jolly laugh, brightly smiling at him. He tried not to scowl at her.

Even Kanda didn't like it when a frown dominated _her_ features.


	44. Peradventure

**shortie: It's short; I know, but I rather like it like this. C:**

----

**Peradventure:** _adverb_ Chance, uncertainty, or doubt.

----

**Forty-Four: Peradventure**

The rumors still lingered.

Some completely dissolved, and when he thought things would settle, more gossip was stirred up----this time about him being a spy for the enemy.

The first time he caught wind of that, he was surprised, but that surprise soon melded into betrayal and anger when those----not quite acquaintances but also not mere strangers----he was on friendly terms with began to give him the cold shoulder, avoiding direct eye contact with him. When they _did_ make eye contact with him, the expression on their faces weren't kind; instead they were stony and cold and harsh. Ironically enough, _Kanda_ (of all people) expressed a much friendlier attitude towards him, which stupefied him.

But of course, their antagonistic relationship stayed the same.

Allen didn't know how the rumor came to be or if parts of the _truth_ was even leaked, accidentally or not. The only thing he knew now was that the majority of the Black Order wasn't too keen on trusting him. Central wasn't, either. Hence, the accompanying, strict, and two-spotted inspector. However, Link had his positive traits, like his ability to bake. Not to mention, there were times when he actually expressed some form of companionship.

Nevertheless, even though it bothered him, Allen, there was nothing he could do except continue with his duty as an Exorcist. He would smile through it all if he had to, but that would probably further flame the dubious thoughts and assumptions of former friends and strangers alike.


	45. Stultify

**shortie: Ah~ The perfect word to describe (love) like. :3**  
**GAH! I can't strike out words. DD: How sad~  
**

**----**

**Stultify:** _verb_ To render useless or ineffectual; cripple. To cause to appear stupid, inconsistent, or ridiculous.

**----  
**

**Forty-Five: Stultify**

It was something strange, the emotions that swept through him whenever you came around. They were even worse when you spoke directly to him, smiled at him, or looked at him with those bright eyes of yours. He strongly refused to let them be known, and thus, forced them from coating his facial features, replacing them with the scowl he nearly always wore, which rivaled Yu Kanda's. Even then, that wouldn't be enough to quell them from returning. Not when you were around.

He had learned to never let himself falter. Maybe once or twice when he was a child, but that was then. Now, he had full discipline of himself and utter self-control over his emotions----but his charge would like to beg to differ. (Yes, he had to admit that there were a few, yet rare, times where he lost his temper. However, nothing serious was done on his part except for yelling and maybe a little bit of threatening.)

So, how in the world did you of all people manage to stupefy him, causing him many nights of inner turmoil while he mulled over these ridiculous thoughts and emotions in a poor attempt to understand? This had never happened before, and he would have preferred it to stay that way till his dying breath. Unfortunately, it seemed as though life had a different sort of plan in mind for him.

Or maybe it was the work of fate.

Or destiny.

Or some silly sort of thinking like that.

He wished it could be labeled as a coincidence, but since when were feelings considered as such?

No matter; he had to deal with them now and possibly forever if they were to never waiver and disappear. But they were troublesome, interrupting him during his studies and disturbing him while he tried to sleep. Walker seemed to notice his grouchier mood in the mornings and the darken scowl that suddenly appeared to be permanent on his face everyday. He only questioned it once and dropped it when the answer he received was vague and suspiciously dubious; it wasn't his business to pursue it further. Link was rather grateful for that.

…Wait----

What?

Yes, Link had unexpectedly fallen in (love) like with you. He didn't mean to and certainly didn't plan it, but no one really could know who and when and where and how. It just…happened. Maybe it was somewhere between that laboriously long mission where you were one of the two Finders, your very first mission with him (and Allen), and your constant playful teasing of him whenever you encountered him in the halls of Headquarters, face full of cheer.

It probably didn't matter _when _because it had _already _happened, and now he was stuck with it until he fell out of (love) like with you. He honestly didn't like how it made him feel----how _you_ made him feel, and it was seriously unnerving and confusing and embarrassing to easily be deterred by something he's never paid much attention to before. He felt completely powerless against it, unable to fight back. Unfortunately, even if he tried, the attempts were futile because then they only made it worse, the emotions flooding him tenfold.

For once, he wasn't so sure of himself.


	46. Reticent

**shortie: You were heading to go confess. The present you were carrying was a little something for him, Kanda. You were going to give it to him as a token of your love when you confess to him. I was thinking it to be something that had to with swords.**

I was going to have this chapter be that interaction between you and him. Unfortunately, the plot didn't cooperate and decided to go its own way. ______ I don't like how it turned out, but oh, well.

And this is the first time I've actually incorporated both the reader and my OC in the same story! :D

----

**Reticent:** _adjective_ Inclined to keep silent; reserved; uncommunicative. Restrained or reserved in style. Reluctant; unwilling.

**----**

**Forty-Six: Reticent**

Today was the day.

Finally, after six ridiculously long years, you were going to do it. Just thinking about it made you giddy with nervous butterflies, but at the same time, you were filled with excitement. You felt jittery, adrenaline pumping throughout your whole body, as though readying yourself for battle against a fleet of Akuma. In fact, it could have been, but you knew _he_ was much more dangerous than some bumbling metal heads any day. However, that thought didn't stop you from brimming with a swirl of emotions, a big goofy grin stretched from ear to ear on your face.

With shaky hands clutching onto the small, wrapped package, you practically skipped down the many hallways, searching for that particular guy.

He wasn't in the training hall or the Oriental mediation room or the library (but he had no reason to be there, anyway) or the cafeteria. You certainly knew for sure that he wasn't away on a mission. There was no familiar yelling or bickering of any sort that would help lead you to him; for once, you wished there was.

It was daunting to not be able to find any traces of him, but if you gave up now, you would never have the courage to do this again.

Coincidentally, when you turned the corner, you saw him exiting out from Komui's office with an exasperated expression. A storm of butterflies kicked up in your abdomen, heart lurching up into your throat, as you prepared yourself to approach him. However, as you took a step towards him, the snowy head of a female trailed after him, exiting from the same room. You recognized her as one of the Locken twins, possibly the elder one seeing as her hair was cropped short, barely touching her shoulders.

What fully stopped you in your tracks was the simple fact that he had paused in his walk to wait for her, something you've _never_ seen him do----not even for the other two members of his team. That realization shocked you, turning your blood into ice as your heart plummeted. It was as though this scene was frozen in place, purposefully embedded into your mind, your eyes, your memory. What made it even worse was the soft look he sported while gazing at her.

Forcing your legs to move, which weren't willing to cooperate, you stumbled forward. You collided into the nearest wall, dropping the package in your hands in the process. It clattered away from your position, catching the attention of the two people you suddenly didn't want to see. The absence of heels clicking on the floor told you Aria had heard the noise. Her soft call of your name informed you that she spotted you.

Your heart thudded loudly in your ears, and you wanted to die right there.

Inhaling a sharp breath, cheeks flaming hot, you reluctantly faced her.

"H-hey," you greeted with a smile plastered on. It hurt to speak.

She took a moment to study your expression, and she must have bought the false smile because she returned it without a single word. You inwardly sighed in relief, eyes dangerously lingering too close to the form of the male.

"That's yours, isn't it?" she asked, moving forward to pick up the aforementioned object.

Your face got even hotter and possibly redder, staring wide in horror. Before you could make any move towards it, she already had it in her hand.

_Shit._

You swallowed thickly, throat tightening, as she extended it out to you without asking anymore about it. In your periphery you saw the guy gave an indignant huff, shifting his weight to his other leg, before turning around and abruptly leaving. You weren't sure if that was a good thing or not, but your nerves were nearly fried from all of the stress you were currently experiencing.

Short laughter brought you out from your thoughts, drawing your eyes to Aria's lively face, the most emotion you've ever seen from her.

"Kanda's quite impatient, isn't he?" she lightly commented. "Especially when he has 'better' stuff to attend to."

You noticed the fondness in the tone of her voice and the faint coat of pink dusted on her cheeks. It surprised you.

Your throat tighten even more, leaving you unable to speak. You merely nodded in agreement, feeling a bit queasy.

Giving a small smile, she left you to go after the Japanese teen.


	47. Flout

**shortie: Why isn't "cheesily" a word?? DD:**

Anyway, this one and the next one are related to each other. And if you're wondering why----and you shall see why when you read the next one----this one's first and the other isn't, it's just that the word **flout** came first. The next word's **saturnine**.

Got it?

That's okay. Just enjoy the story. C:

----

**Flout:** _transitive verb_ To treat with contempt and disregard; to show contempt for.  
_intransitive verb_ To mock, to scoff.  
_noun_ Mockery, scoffing.

----

**Forty-Seven: Flout**

Where the fuck was he?!

The moment Kanda found that stupid rabbit he was going to cut him to pieces and have himself some soup along with his soba.

Yes, that was the plan.

He had checked the library, the place his prey most often frequented, and the cafeteria. Upon questioning Jeryy, he learned that the redhead had already left. So, destroying a few tables and injuring many Finders, he left to continue his hunt.

While glaring at everything and everyone in the hallways, he thought to himself----and it was rare of him to be so logical during chaotic times like these----that the idiot rabbit must have had some assistance in being able to hide from someone as dangerous as him. Then _you_ came into mind, and with a menacing smirk upon his lips, he changed courses.

The door to your room was locked, he noted as he attempted to turn the door knob and failing to get it to _click_ open. Being the sort of gentleman that he was, he unsheathed Mugen to slice the wooden barrier between him and you. He kicked it down, knocking it off its hinges, startling you. He raised the blade in his grasp at you as he stepped inside, demanding Lavi's location. Blinking, you gave an honest answer, on which he wasn't particularly happy to hear. So, he threaten you with death, something you didn't even bat an eyelash at, slightly confusing him. However, he withdrew Mugen and clambered out of the room, crossing over the broken door, but not without snapping something mean to you.

A minute of silence passed, and letting out a breath, the redhead crawled out from under your bed. He smiled cheesily at you, dusting himself off as he stood. You made no reaction to his appearance, but when he reached over and patted your head affectionately, saying words that felt strange coming from him, your eyes filled with tears.

"Yu says a lot of things, but he really cares waaaaaaaaaaay deep down inside. He just won't admit it to himself."

Because Kanda had said, "If you're going to die, die in battle."

(He knew.)


	48. Saturnine

**shortie: *gasp* Only two more to go!! Woooooooo! =^ 3^=**

----

**Saturnine:** _adjective_ Gloomy or sullen in disposition. Having a sardonic or bitter aspect. Sluggish in temperament; gloomy; taciturn.

----

**Forty-Eight: Saturnine**

The only thing you can focus on is the pain. It resonates loudly within your body, your soul, you mind, but you simply allow them to see what they want to see.

And what they want to see is definitely not pain and suffering.

So, you plaster on a smile that's most definitely fake but no one questions it because it's so sweet and not so different from your usual smile. As they turn their backs on you and walk away, the smile slips off your face and is replaced by an expression that's too sad to be worn by you, the eternal optimist.

No one knows how you truly feel, and maybe that's part of the reason why you're incredibly depressed. But you just can't come out and say it. You just can't say everything that's on your mind; no one has the time for that. Also, you would only further burden them _your_ issues when they still have _theirs_ to deal with.

That automatically eliminates the whole Science Department.

Sweet and innocent Allen has changed to drastically and has become too angsty and serious for his own good. To disclose your feelings to him wouldn't be the brightest idea ever: He has so much stress upon him that if you were to add yours, it would drown him. No, you would allow him some peace from you.

Lavi was nowhere to be found. There was the possibility that he went on a mission. No mater, you were quite doubtful he would understand how you felt; he was going the be the future Bookman, after all.

Lenalee would only feel sorry for you if you told her, and you didn't want that. Everyone loved her and would immediately notice if something was slightly off with her. Because of that, she wouldn't even have a single clue as to how you were feeling. You love her like a sister, but she just wouldn't know and be able to comprehend your emotions.

That Japanese guy was definitely not the answer because 1) he didn't care; 2) he was emotionally and socially stunted; and 3) he would rather kill you than listen to anything you have to say.

There was always that new Exorcist, Miranda. However, you were usually the one _comforting_ her.

The vampire Exorcist wasn't someone you wanted to talk to because he was, well, a vampire. Besides, he rarely came out of his room unless called for a mission. Or meals.

There were many others who you could list as "unavailable" or "inappropiate" to share your feelings with, but you didn't want to waste anymore time with that. So, dismissing those thoughts altogether, you traispe on down to your quarters and lock the door behind you. Everything you need is in the room, and with some preparation, you can finally sleep.

----

It isn't until two days later when Supervisor Komui calls for you in the morning do they notice just how absent you've been. Worried about the lack of response from your golem, Komui heads to your room. At his heels are Lenalee, Allen, a reluctant Link, and young Timothy. The golden golem once belonging to the late General Marian Cross files over their heads, absolutely oblivious to the seriousness of the situation.

When they reach your room, it's empty of your presence, and your black golem is nowhere to be seen. However, they find it strange that the doors' broken, literally torn off it's hinges.

"What's going on?"

Hearing your voice surprises them, and you can only stare wide-eyed at them as their faces are filled with relief. Without any hesitation, Komui brings you into a tight embrace, animatedly crying and sputtering nonsense of how he thought you had went and committed suicide----nonsense that was true two days prior.


	49. Logorrhea

**shortie: The four strange visitors are Tiedoll's group, and the guy sitting next to you at dinner is Daisya. C:**

----

**Logorrhea:** _noun_ Pathologically incoherent, repetitious speech. Incessant or compulsive talkativeness; wearisome volubility.

----

**Forty-Nine: Logorrhea**

There were four peculiar visitors today, you realize as you bound around the kitchen, checking up on the various dishes that are simmering on the many stoves around the room. Peculiar, you say, because they adorned the same stylized black outfit, an intricate silver cross on the left of their breast, something which people didn't see very much of in this particular sleepy little town. Not only that but each of their physical appearances were drastically different from each other's----their mannerisms, too.

An odd crowd, you think to yourself as you sample a taste of the minced vegetable soup.

Without warning, there is an extraordinarily loud ruckus, which seems to be occurring right outside the kitchen door, which pierces your eardrums. It nearly makes you drop the spoon into the large pot as you cringe at the volume. Slightly frowning, spoon touching your pursed lips, you decide not to investigate the explosive discussion outside as you tear your eyes away to scan around at the duty you have been given, which is to merely make sure that each of the dishes were thoroughly cooked.

It's most definitely an important duty because everyone needs nourishment.

Once the stoves are turned off, the contents of the pots and pans still lightly simmering from the dying heat, you shuffle around and take out large plates and bowls, setting them on the countertops. You ladle up as much food as you can for each dish, making sure you don't spill anything and that they're not overflowing, threatening to flow over the edge.

Mamma**[1]** enters the room, the door swinging closed behind her. She gives you a wide smile, welcoming the swirl of different scents and the multiple plates and bowls of food. You return it as she exclaims at how delicious the food smells and looks, setting a few dishes on a large metal platter before carrying it out into the dining room.

The noise level in the other room is actually lower than before, meaning that whatever sort of heated conversation that was going on earlier has died down.

Peering into said room, you notice that the four strange visitors are all seated except for one----the effeminate teen with long, lovely dark hair pulled back into a high ponytail. That one is standing far from everyone else that he----you're not sure if it's a guy or girl, and it would be extremely rude of you to refer to him as 'it' (although you already did)----is nearly out of your sight. Papá**[2]** has engaged them in a hearty conversation, his warm and hoarse voice speaking in clear tones. You hear two other voices, one wise and fatherly, the other much younger and animated and male.

Once the table is set for dinner, plates and food arranged for seven, Mamma calls for the men. They trail into the dining room, where Papá takes the seat at the head of the table. Mamma sits on his right, and you take your spot next to her while the guests squeezed onto the opposite side, the angry teen forcibly dragged along. The old man, apparently the other three guys' guardian, is seated on Papá's left. Once Papá starts eating, the clatter of utensils quietly move, the indication of eating, and soon, conversations begins. **[3]**

The guy sitting next to you, whose voice you recognize as being one of those you heard in the discussion with Papá before dinner, has one-sidedly decided to engage you in a chat. You give him as much direct eye contact you can whilst juggling between eating, chewing, and passing around dishes. **[4]** Even though you don't once speak up, he doesn't seem to notice, most likely too busy talking your ears off about everything he can think of.

"…So, what do you think?"

In the midst of shoving a fork-load of pasta into your mouth you turn to him, blinking. You chew slowly, unsure as to how to deal with this new situation. Thankfully, Mamma and Papá have taken it upon themselves to sort it out.

Laughing, Mamma explains, "Dear, our sweet _figlia_ isn't able to speak. Not since birth." **[5]**

You smile apologetically, blushing a light pink. However, your seatmate isn't disturbed by this newfound information. Rather, he becomes more animated, making you wonder just how much he can talk in one night.

* * *

**[1]** _Mamma_ means "mom" in Italian.

**[2]** _Papá_ means "dad" in Italian.

**[3]** According to _How to Follow Italian Table Manners_, guests have to wait for the host(ess) to sit down before sitting down themselves. They also have to follow the host(ess)'s lead to determine when to eat: (s)he'll either tell them to start eating or just eat and have them follow his/her lead.

**[4]** According to_ Mind Your Manners - Italian Etiquette_, intense direct eye contact is common while looking away means you're not interested and/or you're being rude.

**[5]** _Figlia_ means daughter in Italian.


	50. Gaucherie

**shortie: Sorry for taking so long to update: I've forgotten about this.**

**Well, thanks to everyone who's read, reviewed, favorited, etc. You guys are awesome!! C:**

**----**  
**Gaucherie:** _noun_ A socially awkward or tactless act. Lack of tact; boorishness; awkwardness.

**----  
**

**Fifty: Gaucherie**

Maybe you were a bit jealous, but you did honestly like the fact that that the two of you were no longer alone. However, Alma basically clung to the newcomer's side, following him around like some sort of 'lovesick puppy'----whatever that meant. Of course, he always had you tag along, too: "The three of us has to stick together!" he had exclaimed happily.

Yes… Since it was for Alma, you would do it----because you could never refuse him, after all. So, you were usually with him and the other guy.

Unfortunately, these 'hanging out' things always nearly ended with Alma chasing the guy around the Asia Black Order Headquarters, which often lead to an all-out fight where both of them literally beat the other into a 'bloody pulp'----as says the members of the Science Department. Even _they_ were beaten, and it was only because they had attempted to stop the fight when punches and kicks were still being thrown.

It was early in the day one morning, and the three of you had gotten out of bed, strolling through the cavernous halls to the pool room----or at least, that's what you liked to refer to it as, seeing as you could never remember the exact name. There, Alma made his rounds, checking each circular pool to see if there would be any more additions to your circle of friends. He animatedly talked to them, describing new discoveries with so much excitement that it was hilarious, which Kanda liked to tell the boy straight to his face. You, on the other hand, found Alma's enthusiasm to be profoundly cute and would wear a large smile with pink cheeks while you watched him.

This day was no different: Kanda talked bad about Alma, getting you upset; you retaliate with a dark scowl, which he returns, and all the while Alma is oblivious to the tension as he makes his rounds around the room.

"Why do you keep on saying such mean things about Alma?" you ask the dark haired boy, sitting only a pillar away.

He scoffs, peering at you from the corner of his eye. Your brows knight tightly together.

"Isn't it obvious? He's an idiot----and so are you for not knowing that."

Needless to say, for once, all three of you were 'bedridden'----how could someone ride a bed?----and the whole Asia Branch couldn't believe how violent you had been in that fight with Kanda. Alma was simply caught in the crossfire, trying to stop the fight but somehow got included.

You still didn't understand why he wanted to be friends with such a mean kid like Kanda.


End file.
